Food Allergies on Caribbean Princess

[mrstrellis]

I was wondering if anyone else had had a similar experience or if this was a one-off.

 

I'm at sea at the moment on the second half of my back to back Caribbean cruise. It's been brilliant except for one thing: last night, we were eating dinner at Horizon Court for a change, and I chose a Chocolate Volcano dessert. When I put my spoon in, I saw lots of little things that looked like chopped nuts.

 

I have a nut allergy which while not life-threatening, is serious enough to ruin my day and everybody else's. So I went to one of the servers and asked him whether this chocolate volcano contained any nuts. He went round the back to check, and said no. When I asked what the little things were, I was told they were chocolate chips. I pointed out that they definitely were *not* chocolate chips. He went and checked with the pastry chef.

 

They were chopped hazelnuts.

 

I do not expect other people to work around my moderate allergy: I am used to it and take responsibility for ensuring that I am OK. However, I do feel that catering staff should be aware of food allergies and be willing to make a thorough check before confirming that the food is fine. The head waiter came up to me, having overheard, apologised and took my room number.

 

Having said all that, I cannot recommend the brownies and chocolate sauce highly enough, and I am having a lovely time.

[Andee]

Thank goodness you were persistent--but I agree that you should only have had to ask once.

 

I have two food allergies: kiwi makes my throat swell, but kiwi is generally pretty obvious so therefore easy to avoid and I carry an Epi-pen. Mussels make me so violently ill that even seeing them on a menu makes me queasy. If I had asked the waiter about either food, and hadn't been given correct information, I would not have been a happy cruiser.

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

It really is scary dealing with food allergies. We learned the hard away about my grandson's peanut allergy when he was 6 and started school. While being tested he was also diagnosed with soy allergy.Soy is in everything!

My daughter has a very hard time finding stuff for him to eat.He is also a picky eater.

She has been hesitant taking him on another cruise right nowbecause of this.They have been to Disney a few times this year and it has been very allergy friendly there...

[Nice Boat]

For my upcoming cruise, I spoke with a Princess rep to note in our bookig that my now 13 month old son is allergic to peanuts. She noted in their records and advised that I send a fax to ther Fleet's Medical as well. The fax number is 661-753-0121. Be sure to include in the fax - name & passenger # (ex. my son is passnger #3), booking #, and of course the food allergy(ies).

[MNYTRPS2GO2]

For my upcoming cruise, I spoke with a Princess rep to note in our bookig that my now 13 month old son is allergic to peanuts. She noted in their records and advised that I send a fax to ther Fleet's Medical as well. The fax number is 661-753-0121. Be sure to include in the fax - name & passenger # (ex. my son is passnger #3), booking #, and of course the food allergy(ies).

 

Your son is so young. My grandson just could not stand the smell so he never went near it. His daycare and kindergarten just happened to be peanut free due to other children being allergic. Except for his mother who ate Peanut Butter everyday of her pregnancy he wasn't really exposed until 1st grade lunch...

[cherylandtk]

I have found that it helps to specify WHY you are asking the question. If it sounds like you are just interested in the recipe or curious about the ingredients you may not get the full answer. In one case, the USUAL recipe did not contain the allergen, but THAT NIGHTS variation did (chef had some extra nuts and was 'jazzing up' the pilaf). If you first specify that you have a food allergy and then ask if it contains nuts, they are much more thorough. But you have to make sure they know WHY you are asking to get a full answer. This holds true in any restaurant, not just Princess or cruise ships.

 

It is not clear from your post whether or not you advised Princess of your allergies before boarding; it sounds as if the staff was not aware of them prior to this incident. The only way to ensure the catering staff is fully advised of your needs is to tell them on the medical form when booking.